Holding Out for A Hero
by Sara47Q
Summary: Having a baby isn't all hearts and roses and butterflies. Part 12 of Crazy is the New Normal series (which is apparently the series that won't end, even when I think it has!) Pairing is Darcy/Tony/Steve Warning for Post-Partum Body Issues, set after a Trip to the Hospital and before an Inevitable Best Seller


"Sir, I believe it would be prudent for you to go home now."

"JARVIS, I'm kinda busy here." Tony was elbow deep in modifications for the Iron Man suit and really didn't want any interruptions.

"Sir." JARVIS's voice was very disapproving. "I believe you should go now." And with that, all of Tony's gadgets stopped working.

"What the hell, JARVIS?"

"Sir, Miss Darcy needs you now."

He shot up, running for the elevator. "Is she alright? Maggie? Did something happen?"

The last couple of months since Maggie was born had been like a bubble of normality in his crazy life. What if something had happened? He wasn't sure it was something he would be able to recover from.

"Where is Steve?" he asked as the elevator climbed.

"Captain Rogers is on his way, but you will arrive sooner."

"Good."

As soon as the doors opened, he was running, trying to find Darcy and Maggie. He followed the sound of Maggie crying and found them in the nursery. It was pitch dark inside except for the light from the arc reactor night light he'd made. In the dim light he saw that Darcy was rocking a hysterical Maggie, tears running down both of their cheeks.

Even though he was sure that he'd felt more emotions since meeting Steve and Darcy than he had in his whole life previously, this sight was positively heartbreaking.

She looked up at him helplessly. "I don't know what to do, she won't stop crying."

He didn't know what he should do either, so he went with what he wanted to do and knelt down in front of her and gathered her in his arms, careful of the squishy, wailing baby between them.

"She hates me," Darcy cried into his ear.

"Now, that's just not true," he said as Steve ran in.

Steve looked ready for battle, wearing his gym clothes and carrying his shield. He took in the scene, dark room, diapers, clothes, and books scattered all over the floor and Tony holding a crying Darcy and screaming Maggie. He propped his shield up against the wall in the hallway and asked, "What can I do?"

"Take the baby," Tony said, letting Darcy go long enough for Steve to take Maggie, then he picked her up and sat down in the rocker with her in his lap, rubbing circles on her back watching as Steve paced, singing softly to Maggie and calming her down.

It seemed like no time at all before Maggie was asleep.

"I spent over an hour trying to calm her down. I changed her, tried to feed her, walked up and down the hall, rocked her, sang to her, nothing. Steve's here for two minutes and she's out like a light. My baby hates me."

Steve put the baby down in her crib and motioned for them to head out of her room. In the living room she grabbed some tissues and tried to mop at her face.

"Darcy, the baby doesn't hate you." Steve tried to console her.

"How did you guys even know to come?" she asked suspiciously.

"JARVIS," they answered.

She sat on the couch and started crying again. "Even JARVIS thinks I'm a bad mother!"

"No, Miss Darcy," Jarvis answered. "I could see you were doing everything you could do and simply summoned help."

"Steve can't help it if he's the baby whisperer."

"I've just been around more of them is all. With all of the babies at the orphanage, it was hard not to learn something."

"We need a change of scenery," Tony announced.

"We do?" Steve asked.

"Darcy, when was the last time you left the Tower?" Tony asked.

"Not since Maggie was born. Between the paparazzi camped out front trying to catch a glimpse of the Stark baby, the kidnapping threats, and the death threats, the only sun we've seen in three months is from the roof. And even trips to the roof are iffy with the occasional news helicopters."

"I'm sorry, death threats?" Steve looked livid.

"Oh yeah. Just people on the internet, and Coulson doesn't want to take any chances."

Steve did not look very reassured. Tony wasn't looking super happy himself, and she went on in a rush, "So if I even want to run to the Starbucks I have to have SHIELD bodyguards. Not to mention all the fangirls who hate me for breaking up the 'superhusbands' and the skeevy news guys saying that I was good enough to fuck but not to put a ring on, it really hasn't been worth leaving. Even if fresh air would be nice."

Tony jumped up, slightly manic. "You want a ring? I can get you a ring."  
"I've actually been designing us matching rings," Steve added shyly.

"Really?" Darcy asked, looking at Steve.

"Yeah," Steve blushed a little. "I know there's no way the three of us can get legally married, but I liked the idea of having rings to show our commitment. I just didn't know how to bring it up."

"That sounds like a really nice idea, Steve," Darcy said. "Why don't you go get the sketches..."

"We'll go to Malibu."

Darcy was confused by Tony's abrupt change of subject. "We will?"  
"Sure. It's secure, it has a beach and a pool…."

"Only Tony Stark would need a beach AND a pool," she snarked, but with the first smile they'd seen since they came in.

"Ha ha. JARVIS, have the Malibu house made ready and tell the pilot we're wings up in an hour."

"But what about baby things?"  
"JARVIS, is the nursery ready in Malibu?"

"It is complete and fully stocked, sir."  
"No problem. Done deal. Go have a quick shower and Steve and I will pack for us and the Magnolia."

"Ok, but you better remember to pack panties for me this time."

"Party pooper."

* * *

Darcy slept almost the entire plane ride to Malibu, Tony and Steve taking turns walking with a baby who was not enjoying her first plane trip.

When they got to the Malibu house, Darcy and Steve looked around in awe.

"It's huge!"

Steve walked over to the windows. "I've never actually seen the Pacific before." Even though it was dark outside, it was still an impressive view.  
"It looks like we could fall right into the ocean!"

Tony took charge, holding a sleepy Maggie with one arm, and gesturing with the other. "Ok, tour. Workshop down there, pool that way, bedrooms upstairs. What's first?"  
"I want to do something OUTSIDE."

"Pool it is."

Darcy walked over to take the baby. "Ok, point me towards the nursery. I'll feed and change Magdalena and put her to bed, then change myself and meet you guys outside."

Steve picked up their bags and they all followed Tony upstairs.

It wasn't long before Darcy was walking out to meet them at the pool.

"Why are you wearing a robe? Where did you even find that robe?"

"I found your Hefner robe in the closet in your room." Darcy looked near tears. "I'm wearing the damn thing because I let you guys pack for me and all you packed for me to swim in was a skimpy bikini!"

Tony stared. "So? What's the problem?"

"So? I just had a baby three months ago! My body is hideous and I don't want you guys to see so much of it."

"We know you had a baby," Tony said blankly. "It's our baby."

"And you don't look hideous, you look beautiful!" Steve added.

She shook her head. "You guys don't understand. You're gorgeous! Steve, you're literally the perfect male specimen!"

"Hey!"

"Shut it, Tony. You know your ass should be illegal in most countries."

He smirked and gave a little twirl with an ass wiggle thrown in for emphasis. "It is illegal in Japan and Brazil."

She ignored him and gestured towards the two of them, looking amazing in their swimming trunks. "You guys are flawless and I'm all lumpy and bumpy and stretch marky. Who wants to see that?"

"Is that why we haven't been together since the doctor gave you the all clear a few weeks ago?" Tony asked.

She wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of the robe. "This may not be easy for you to understand, but it's hard to get in a sexy frame of mind when your body is so gross, Tony."

Steve walked forward, moving to untie the brown robe and peel it open, despite Darcy's weak attempts to keep it closed. He knelt in front of her and started kissing the stretch marks on her hip, making his way slowly towards her belly button.

"Darcy, you grew another human being in here. That is something that I couldn't do, even with all of my enhancements, and something Tony couldn't do, even with all of his technology. A few battle scars from something so amazing is nothing we would ever find ugly."

"I resent the implication that I couldn't find a way to grow a person using technology, but Steve's point still stands." Tony said from behind her, pulling the robe down off her shoulders to pool on the cement.

She let out a watery chuckle, then a squeak as she felt a tongue on the back of her thigh, where she knew she had more stretch marks. Steve held her in place while Tony nipped at the back of her legs, using lips and teeth and tongue to show his appreciation. They met over her left hip, Steve having kissed across her belly and Tony up her leg. She watched them kiss, feeling a knot of tension release that she hadn't realized was constantly there in her worry that they wouldn't want her anymore. Seeing how turned on they were by her body even with its imperfections was a relief, they may have been kissing each other but they hadn't stopped stroking her legs and belly. She dropped down next to them, kneeling on the discarded robe and inserted herself in their kiss, stealing Steve's lips away from Tony, who attached himself to her neck instead. He started undoing the tie on her bikini top and kissing his way down her chest. She pulled away from Steve with a gasp.

"I found some more stretch marks, Lewis," he panted out, licking at the underside of her breast.

"Maybe we should take this inside," Steve suggested, standing up and holding his hand out for Darcy.

"What about Maggie?"

"JARVIS will let us know if she wakes up." Tony followed, doing his best to both feel her up and undo the strings on her bikini bottom as they walked.

"JARVIS, are we stocked up on lube?" Tony asked as they walked.

"When you informed me you were coming out to Malibu, I took the liberty of stocking up on diapers and wipes, as well as doubling your usual order of lube and condoms, sir."

Darcy giggled as Steve growled and picked her up, carrying her bridal style towards the bedroom. JARVIS was totally her favorite.


End file.
